1 Kings 20
20
Ben Hadad Invades Israel
1 Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria#map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1. and besieged and attacked it.#tn Heb “and he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.” 2 He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city.#tn Heb “to the city.” 3 He said to him, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.’” 4 The king of Israel replied, “It is just as you say, my master, O king. I and all I own belong to you.”
5 The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘I sent this message to you, “You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons.” 6 But now at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you and they will search through your palace and your servants’ houses. They will carry away all your valuables.”#tn Heb “all that is desirable to your eyes they will put in their hand and take.” 7 The king of Israel summoned all the leaders#tn Heb “elders.” of the land and said, “Notice how this man is looking for trouble.#tn Heb “Know and see that this [man] is seeking trouble.” Indeed, he demanded my wives, sons, silver, and gold, and I did not resist him.” 8 All the leaders and people said to him, “Do not give in or agree to his demands.”#tn Heb “Do not listen and do not be willing.” 9 So he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Say this to my master, the king, ‘I will give you everything you demanded at first from your servant, but I am unable to agree to this latest demand.’”#tn Heb “all which you sent to your servant in the beginning I will do, but this thing I am unable to do.” So the messengers went back and gave their report.
10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely#tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.” if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.”#tn Heb “if the dirt of Samaria suffices for the handfuls of all the people who are at my feet.” 11 The king of Israel replied, “Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off.”#sn The point of the saying is that someone who is still preparing for a battle should not boast as if he has already won the battle. A modern parallel would be, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.” 12 When Ben Hadad received this reply,#tn Heb “When he heard this word.” he and the other kings were drinking in their quarters.#tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents. He ordered his servants, “Get ready to attack!” So they got ready to attack the city.
The Lord Delivers Israel
13 Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Do you see this huge army?#tn Heb “this great horde.” Look, I am going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 14 Ahab asked, “By whom will this be accomplished?”#tn The words “will this be accomplished” are supplied in the translation for clarification. He answered, “This is what the Lord says, ‘By the servants of the district governors.’” Ahab#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity. asked, “Who will launch the attack?” He answered, “You will.”
15 So Ahab#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity. assembled the 232 servants of the district governors. After that he assembled all the Israelite army, numbering 7,000.#tn Heb “after them he assembled all the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.” 16 They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily#tn Heb “drinking and drunken.” in their quarters.#tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents. 17 The servants of the district governors led the march. When Ben Hadad sent messengers, they reported back to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”#map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1. 18 He ordered, “Whether they come in peace or to do battle, take them alive.”#tn Heb “if they come in peace, take them alive; if they come for battle, take them alive.” 19 They marched out of the city with the servants of the district governors in the lead and the army behind them. 20 Each one struck down an enemy soldier;#tn Heb “each struck down his man.” the Syrians fled and Israel chased them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen. 21 Then the king of Israel marched out and struck down the horses and chariots; he thoroughly defeated#tn Heb “struck down Aram with a great striking down.” Syria.
The Lord Gives Israel Another Victory
22 The prophet#tn The definite article indicates previous reference, that is, “the prophet mentioned earlier” (see v. 13). visited the king of Israel and instructed him, “Go, fortify your defenses.#tn Heb “strengthen yourself.” Determine#tn Heb “know and see.” what you must do, for in the spring#tn Heb “at the turning of the year.” the king of Syria will attack#tn Heb “go up against.” you.” 23 Now the advisers#tn Or “servants.” of the king of Syria said to him: “Their God is a god of the mountains. That’s why they overpowered us. But if we fight them in the plains, we will certainly overpower them. 24 So do this: Dismiss the kings from their command, and replace them with military commanders. 25 Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and chariots.#tn Heb “And you, you muster an army like the one that fell from you, horse like horse and chariot like chariot.” Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them.” He approved their plan and did as they advised.#tn Heb “he listened to their voice and did so.”
26 In the spring#tn Heb “at the turning of the year.” Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army#tn Heb “mustered Aram.” and marched to Aphek to fight Israel.#tn Heb “and went up to Aphek for battle with Israel.” 27 When the Israelites had mustered and had received their supplies, they marched out to face them in battle. When the Israelites deployed opposite them, they were like two small flocks#tn The noun translated “small flocks” occurs only here. The common interpretation derives the word from the verbal root חשׂף, “to strip off; to make bare.” In this case the noun refers to something “stripped off” or “made bare.” HALOT 359 s.v. II חשׂף derives the noun from a proposed homonymic verbal root (which occurs only in Ps 29:9) meaning “cause a premature birth.” In this case the derived noun could refer to goats that are undersized because they are born prematurely. of goats, but the Syrians filled the land. 28 The prophet#tn Heb “the man of God.” visited the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Syrians said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,” I will hand over to you this entire huge army.#tn Heb “I will place all this great horde in your hand.” Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
29 The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in one day. 30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them.#tn Heb “and the remaining ones fled to Aphek to the city and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men, the ones who remained.” Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room.#tn Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, [into] an inner room in an inner room.” 31 His advisers#tn Or “servants.” said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind.#tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings. Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads#sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match. and surrender#tn Heb “go out.” to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.” 32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, “Your servant#sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement. Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’” Ahab#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity. replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”#sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner. 33 The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer, saying, “Ben Hadad is your brother.” Ahab#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity. then said, “Go, get him.” So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot. 34 Ben Hadad#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said, “I will return the cities my father took from your father. You may set up markets#tn Heb “streets,” but this must refer to streets set up with stalls for merchants to sell their goods. See HALOT 299 s.v. חוּץ. in Damascus, just as my father did in Samaria.”#map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1. Ahab then said, “I want to make a treaty with you before I dismiss you.”#tn Heb “I will send you away with a treaty.” The words “Ahab then said” are supplied in the translation. There is nothing in the Hebrew text to indicate that the speaker has changed from Ben Hadad to Ahab. Some suggest adding “and he said” before “I will send you away.” Others prefer to maintain Ben Hadad as the speaker and change the statement to, “Please send me away with a treaty.” So he made a treaty with him and then dismissed him.
A Prophet Denounces Ahab’s Actions
35 One of the members of the prophetic guild, speaking with divine authority, ordered his companion, “Wound me!”#tn Heb “Now a man from the sons of the prophets said to his companion by the word of the Lord, ‘Wound me.’” But the man refused to wound him. 36 So the prophet#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said to him, “Because you have disobeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him. 37 He found another man and said, “Wound me!” So the man wounded him severely.#tn Heb “and the man wounded him, wounding and bruising.” 38 The prophet then went and stood by the road, waiting for the king. He also disguised himself by putting a bandage down over his eyes. 39 When the king passed by, he called out to the king, “Your servant went out into the heat#tn Heb “middle.” of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner.#tn Heb “man” (also a second time later in this verse). He told me, ‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason,#tn Heb “if being missed, he is missed.” The emphatic infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form lends solemnity to the warning. you will pay with your life or with a talent#tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 75 pounds of silver. of silver.’#tn Heb “your life will be in place of his life, or a unit of silver you will pay.” 40 Well, it just so happened that while your servant was doing this and that, he disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him, “Your punishment is already determined by your own testimony.”#tn Heb “so [i.e., in accordance with his testimony] is your judgment, you have determined [it].” 41 The prophet#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity. quickly removed the bandage from his eyes and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets. 42 The prophet#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity. then said to him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Because you released a man I had determined should die, you will pay with your life and your people will suffer instead of his people.’”#tn Heb “Because you sent away the man of my destruction [i.e., that I determined should be destroyed] from [my/your?] hand, your life will be in place of his life, and your people in place of his people.” 43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria#map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1. bitter and angry.
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1 Kings 20: NET
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1996 - 2007 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC
1 Kings 20
20
1Then Ben-hadad the King of Aram assembled all his armie, and two and thirtie Kings with him, with horses, and charets, and went vp and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. 2And he sent messengers to Ahab King of Israel, into the citie, 3And sayd vnto him, Thus sayth Ben-hadad, Thy siluer and thy golde is mine: also thy women, and thy fayre children are mine. 4And the King of Israel answered, and sayd, My lord King, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I haue. 5And when the messengers came againe, they said, Thus commandeth Ben-hadad, and saith, When I shall send vnto thee, and command, thou shalt deliuer me thy siluer and thy golde, and thy women, and thy children, 6Or els I will sende my seruants vnto thee by to morow this time: and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy seruants: and whatsoeuer is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall take it in their handes, and bring it away. 7Then the King of Israel sent for all the Elders of the land, and sayd, Take heede, I pray you, and see how he seeketh mischiefe: for he sent vnto me for my wiues, and for my children, and for my siluer, and for my golde, and I denyed him not. 8And all the Elders, and all the people sayd to him, Hearken not vnto him, nor consent. 9Wherefore hee sayde vnto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lorde the King, All that thou didddest sende for to thy seruant at the first time, that I will doe, but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him an answere. 10And Ben-hadad sent vnto him, and sayde, The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria be ynough to all the people that follow me, for euery man an handfull. 11And the King of Israel answered, and sayd, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth his harneis, boast himselfe, as he that putteth it off. 12And when he heard that tidings, as he was with the Kings drinking in the pauilions, he sayd vnto his seruants, Bring forth your engines, and they set them against the citie. 13And beholde, there came a Prophet vnto Ahab King of Israel, saying, Thus sayeth the Lord, Hast thou seene all this great multitude? beholde, I will deliuer it into thine hande this day, that thou mayest knowe, that I am the Lord. 14And Ahab sayd, By whome? And he sayde, Thus sayth the Lord, By the seruants of the princes of the prouinces. He sayde againe, Who shall order the battel? And he answered, Thou. 15Then he nombred the seruantes of the princes of the prouinces, and they were two hundreth, two and thirtie: and after them he nombred the whole people of all the children of Israel, euen seuen thousand. 16And they went out at noone: but Ben-hadad did drinke till he was drunken in the tentes, both he and the Kings: for two and thirtie Kings helped him. 17So the seruants of the princes of the prouinces went out first: and Ben-hadad sent out, and they shewed him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria. 18And he sayde, Whether they be come out for peace, take them aliue: or whether they bee come out to fight, take them yet aliue. 19So they came out of the citie, to wit, the seruants of the princes of the prouinces, and the hoste which followed them. 20And they slew euery one his enemie: and the Aramites fled, and Israel pursued them: but Ben-hadad ye King of Aram escaped on an horse with his horsemen. 21And the King of Israel went out, and smote the horses and charets, and with a great slaughter slew he the Aramites. 22(For there had come a Prophet to the King of Israel, and had sayd vnto him, Goe, be of good courage, and consider, and take heede what thou doest: for when the yeere is gone about, the King of Aram wil come vp against thee) 23Then the seruants of the King of Aram said vnto him, Their gods are gods of the moutaines, and therefore they ouercame vs: but let vs fight against them in the playne, and doubtlesse we shall ouercome them. 24And this doe, Take the Kings away, euery one out of his place, and place captaines for them. 25And nomber thy selfe an armie, like the armie that thou hast lost, with such horses, and such charets, and we wil fight against them in the plaine, and doubtlesse we shall ouercome them: and he hearkened vnto their voyce, and did so. 26And after the yeere was gone about, Ben-hadad nombred the Aramites, and went vp to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27And the children of Israel were nombred, and were all assembled and went against them, and the children of Israel pitched before them, like two litle flockes of kiddes: but the Aramites filled the countrey. 28And there came a man of God, and spake vnto the King of Israel, saying, Thus sayeth the Lord, Because the Aramites haue sayd, The Lord is the God of the mountaines, and not God of the valleis, therefore will I deliuer all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 29And they pitched one ouer against the other seuen dayes, and in the seuenth day the battel was ioyned: and the children of Israel slew of the Aramites an hundreth thousand footemen in one day. 30But the rest fled to Aphek into the citie: and there fel a wall vpon seuen and twentie thousand men that were left: and Ben-hadad fled into the citie, and came into a secret chamber. 31And his seruants sayd vnto him, Beholde nowe, we haue heard say that the Kings of the house of Israel are mercifull Kings: we pray thee, let vs put sacke cloth about our loynes, and ropes about our heads, and goe out to the King of Israel: it may be that he will saue thy life. 32Then they gyrded sackecloth about their loynes, and put ropes about their heads, and came to the King of Israel, and sayd, Thy seruant Ben-hadad sayth, I pray thee, let me liue: and he sayd, Is he yet aliue? he is my brother. 33Now the men tooke diliget heede, if they could catch any thing of him, and made haste, and sayd, Thy brother Ben-hadad. And he sayd, Go, bring him. So Ben-hadad came out vnto him, and he caused him to come vp vnto the chariot. 34And Ben-hadad sayd vnto him, The cities, which my father tooke from thy father, I wil restore, and thou shalt make streetes for thee in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will let thee goe with this couenant. So he made a couenant with him, and let him goe. 35Then a certaine man of the children of the Prophets sayd vnto his neighbour by the comandement of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. But the man refused to smite him. 36Then sayd he vnto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voyce of the Lord, beholde, as soone as thou art departed from me, a lyon shall slay thee. So when he was departed from him, a lyon found him and slew him. 37Then he founde another man, and sayde, Smite mee, I pray thee. And the man smote him, and in smiting wounded him. 38So the Prophet departed, and wayted for the King by the way, and disguised himselfe with ashes vpon his face. 39And when the King came by, he cried vnto the King, and said, Thy seruant went into the middes of the battel: and beholde, there went away a man, whom another man brought vnto me, and sayd, Keepe this man: if he be lost, and want, thy life shall go for his life, or els thou shalt pay a talent of siluer. 40And as thy seruant had here and there to do, he was gone: And the King of Israel said vnto him, So shall thy iudgement be: thou hast giuen sentence. 41And hee hasted, and tooke the ashes away from his face: and the King of Israel knewe him that he was of the Prophets: 42And he said vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let goe out of thine handes a man whom I appoynted to dye, thy life shall goe for his life, and thy people for his people. 43And the King of Israel went to his house heauie and in displeasure, and came to Samaria.
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